Nasia's Untitled story!

Chapter 1

Imagined

I woke up in the morning and realized it was Monday and I had to go to school…again…I stayed in bed refusing to open my eyes for a few minuets till I found the courage to. When I did, I noticed that there was far too much light in my room. It cheered me a bit to think that it wasn’t going to be another dull, day.
I tried to be quiet as I got dressed, trying not to wake up my mom-she was working till late again…I was all set and tiptoeing my way to the door but I wasn’t quiet enough…
“Em??”
“Sorry mom, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I told you I don’t like not seeing you before you leave for school!” she said, her voice teasing and sleepy at the same time. ”why don’t you come and give me a proper goodbye now that I’m wakened anyway…”
I walk to her room and stand in the doorway”You know I just think you need some rest.” I smile. ”Anyway I better get going! You try and get some more sleep”
“Love you Em!”
“Love you more mom!”
I walk out of the house prepared to wait for a few minuets before Kim shows up, but I can see her shiny red car already there…Weird…She must have something really important to tell me-either good or bad. The only other time she wasn’t the least bit late, was when her parents had announced the night before, that they were getting divorced. I really hope it wasn’t anything like that…
I climb in the passenger’s seat. The first thing I do before greeting her, is measuring her expression. A wave of relief washes through me as I see a wide grin spread across her face.
“Hi Em!!” she says with a little too much excitement in her voice.
I chuckle “How come you’re so cheery today?”
“Oh, nothing in particular…it’s just a beautiful day!! Did you see the sun? I didn’t remember it being so bright! And…”she cut off her sentence looking at my smiley expression and grinned” Okay, okay…..It’s just a teeny bit more than that!” I look at her waiting for the story to start…
“Remember how you always said that Henry has a thing for me?”
“Yeah, and you never believed me! But…judging on your question, I’m guessing I wasn’t far from wrong…!” I smile to encourage her to continue. She turns a slight shade of pink and takes a deep breath.
“It’s just…I always quite liked him but I thought he was so out of my league, so I never bothered to make a move-even though you’ve tried to convince me now and then.”
I always though that Kim didn’t see herself clearly. She doesn’t have much self esteem and it’s hard for me to believe that it’s hard for her to believe that a boy might be interested in her. I often envy her…With her long wavy chocolate brown hair and dark green eyes…
“So…last night he called me. I was so shocked! I didn’t even know he had my number! Anyway I didn’t ask him where he got my number because I didn’t want to sound annoyed or anything. He said he really wanted to see this movie I’ve never even heard of, and that he wanted company. It took me a while to realize that in a way he was asking me out! Of course I told him that I would love to go with him and he said he’d pick me up!!! Oh Em…it was one of the best nights of my life!! The movie was actually quite fun!! And when he drove me back we sat in his car in front of my house and talked for more than half an hour and then he…he kissed me Em!! I was so nervous because I could see it coming and I didn’t know how to react, what to do or generally how to kiss!! I panicked, but when he kissed me I didn’t know what I was doing I just tried to sort of…you know…follow him. I was just hoping it wasn’t too bad. But he didn’t seem to notice my lack of experience and kissed me again!!” She paused and took a breath.
“Wow!” was my reply. ”So…is he…you know…a good kisser?”
“I guess…I mean I can’t really tell because I can’t compare him to anyone else because there hasn’t been anyone else, but I think it’s fair to say he’s a good kisser. I mean at first it felt sort of weird but after getting over the shock of the moment I enjoyed it and I could feel my heart fluttering!”
I grin at her”So…you really like him?”
“Definitely” she replies turning lightly pink again.
“So much that you would accept without complaining an ‘I told you so’ from me??”
“Ugh, Em you really are a pain in the-“
“Hey watch your language! You seriously kiss Henry with that mouth??” I cut her off laughing. We continue teasing each other and laughing till we get to school.
The only bad thing about getting to school early was that Sean was there ready to ambush me. Kim always teases me about how he’s my “personal stalker”. I mean he’s a nice boy but he’s just a bit too obsessed with me. He’s always giving me cards and flowers. Maybe if he laid off a bit I could actually like him! He’s good looking. Tall for a sixteen-year-old, curly brown hair, soft brown eyes and dimples in his cheeks that become deeper with every smile. I rarely don’t see them on his cheeks because he is always smiling when I am around. I’ve tried to gently turn him down but he never actually gets the message.
“Hey Em!” Sean calls a bit too eager to see me.
“Hey Sean” I try to put as much enthusiasm as I’ve got in my voice (which is not much) so I don’t hurt his feelings. Kim rolls her eyes at me.
“Kim!!” I hear Henry’s voice call her. She turns the shade of pink that I thought I should get used to, and smiles.
“See you at Chem class!” She says to me.
I shoot at her a pleading look that clearly said: ’Don’t leave me alone with Sean!’ understanding the look, she mouths ‘sorry’ and her eyes are apologetic. She turns around and leaves.
‘’So…how was your weekend?” Sean says
“Um…good” is all I reply.
“Good…good. That’s good…”
An uncomfortable silent moment passes and Henry continues.
We walk to Biology together but I don’t even bother to hear what he’s saying. I just nod now and then to show that I’m participating. Biology was interesting. Maybe I thought so because it was an escape from Sean’s babbling…
When I get to chem class Kim is there waiting for me. I sit next to her.
“Sorry for leaving you alone with your stalker…” She gives me an apologetic smile and her eyes are pleading again.
I stare at her for a few seconds trying to look a bit annoyed but I give up and smile.
“Fine! You’re forgiven! You know I can’t stay mad at you!”
“You’re the best Em! So…what was he saying?”
“No idea! I just let him do all the talking. You know how anything he says is usually bor-”
“Miss Jones would you mind paying attention to my class?” I hadn’t even noticed that Mr. Damen had already walked into the classroom, how much more even beginning his lesson. “Or do you have something so important to say to Miss Levings that can’t wait till after class?” He added. I apologized and Kim grinned at me. It was hard to continue the conversation with Mr. Damen keeping an eye on us. We walked out of class.
“What a drag!” Kim says.
“Totally! So-“
“See you later Em!”
“What-Where are you going?”
“Henry’s waiting for me.”
“Oh…Ok. See you later I guess”I replied a bit hurt, but Kim had already turned away.
“You okay?”
I turn around and see Sean looking at me concerned. I had no idea what my expression looked like.
“Oh, yeah, sure, I’m fine thanks.”
“It won’t be like this for long you know…”
I look at him puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your friend ditching you for a guy. It’s just all new to her and she’s still very excited.”
I never thought that anything Sean might say would comfort me. Suddenly he seemed a bit more likeable and not as obnoxious. I suddenly felt very comfortable around him…Weird! He really was insightful! It was the first time that I actually had a conversation with him in which I was actually participating.
Next, we had gym. It was one of the hours that I could endure happily. But when we started warming up I didn’t feel so good… But I didn’t stop. Next thing I remember is everything turning black and waking up from the anxious murmurs of my class mates. “She’s okay” I hear someone say. Sean was at my side helping me up. I didn’t trust my legs to hold my weight without giving in, so I let him hold most of my weight. Mrs. Pamèl ordered Sean to carry me outside for some fresh air. She said that if I didn’t feel any better I should go home. While we were sitting outside I started to feel better. Sean relaxed a bit-seeing color in my cheeks again. But I didn’t feel like staying for the rest of the day so I asked Sean to tell Mrs. Pamèl that I went home because I still didn’t feel so good-which wasn’t completely true.
“Hope you feel better tomorrow!” Sean called before going back to gym.
“Thanks” I replied not sure if I said it a bit late.
I gathered my stuff and walked toward the school exit. I saw Paul leaning against a wall ditching class as usual. I could never understand him. He never seemed to talk to anyone, nor have any friends. But it’s his fault because people have tried in the past to be friends with him, including me, but he’s just so mysterious and anti-sociable. I have to admit that he is gorgeous. He’s got shoulder lengthed black hair and gray-blue eyes. Today he was dressed in black. I noticed because he was leaning against a white wall. He shot a quick glance at me and turned back to doing nothing.
I had to walk home but it wasn’t really far…As I was walking I was lost in my thoughts. Thinking about how I would have to gently let down Sean…again…and talk to Kim about the whole Henry thing. Two things that I would delay as much as I possibly could.
I only looked up from my feet for a second and I was startled. Paul was standing across the road staring at me. I couldn’t quite read the look in his eyes. He looked…relieved when he saw me…happy somehow. That can’t be right. He rarely shows any kind of emotions on his face! But then I noticed something weird. He wasn’t wearing black…he was wearing an old pair of jeans and a dark red t-shirt…I closed my eyes and shook me head. When I opened them he was gone.
I was startled. Where did Paul go? Did he follow me? When did he find the time to change clothes? Did he maybe have a twin brother that I didn’t know about? But It wasn’t just his clothes that were different…he was different, but at the same time he was exactly the same. It didn’t make any sense. I probably just imagined it…I must have hit my head when I fainted…Yes that must be it…
Even though I told myself that I imagined it, a small part of me didn’t think that…I tried to ignore it.

Chapter 2

Long day

Mum decided not to send me to school on Tuesday because she got a fright when my Gym teacher called her at work to “inform” her that her daughter had passed out during gym class. She took me to a doctor as soon as she came back from work. He gave me vitamins and that was that. But my mum insisted on me staying off school. She always overreacts…
So now I’m sitting alone in the house, bored to tears and it’s not even 9 o’clock…Will this day ever pass??
I decide that I can’t sit around all day. I get dressed and head out for a walk. Maybe I’ll stop by the video club and get a movie… I‘ve been dying to watch a film that recently came out but they’ve only got one copy of it and it’s usually rented.
I reach x-zone (the name of the video club) and walk in. Yes! It isn’t rented! I grab the DVD before someone else gets a chance-and hold on to it. I always like walking around, looking at films, imagining myself starring in them.
The girl at the desk smiles, gives me the DVD and says Goodbye. As I walk out in the street, I take the DVD out of the bag she gave me-just to make sure she didn’t make a mistake.
I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going so it was inevitable to bump into someone.
“Sorry” I murmur and look up startled when I see who it actually is.
“Paul?”
He seemed relieved. Like he thought that I might not recognize him.
“Hi” he says.
I look at him and scan him. It takes me a second to realize that he reminds me of the Paul that I thought I imagined. So I grabbed the chance to prove myself wrong.
“So were you ditching school yesterday?”
“Oh…yeah…you know how school can get boring…”
So I didn’t imagine it…
“Lia…”he started.
“Who...?”
“Um, Emilia…that’s your name right?” He seemed nervous.
“Yeah, but they call me Em”
Why on earth would he need to confirm that that is my name??? Weird…
He closed his eyes as if he’d forgotten and just remembered.
“Right, sorry. I forgot. So what are you doing?”
“Um, well. My mum didn’t want to send me to school today because I sort of fainted during gym and I got bored and came to get a movie. What about you?”
“Oh… just wandering around…”
“Ok cool… I’ll see you around…”
“Ok”
I started to walk.
“Hey wait!” he yells and I turn around.
“Maybe we could arrange something one day. You know… if you don’t have anything better to do…”
I was startled but kept it together.
“Um, sure…”
“Ok, Bye” he smiled.
“Bye” I reply, still shocked.
As I walked away from him I could feel him still looking at me. I tried to ignore it and kept moving. Something really strange was going on and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to find out….

------------

I watched the film and was glad I got it. It really was something… Others that had seen it told me that it’s a bit slow as a film but I didn’t really mind. When I turned off the DVD player and the TV, I looked at the clock and it was only half past eleven. This day would never end… I decided to read a book to pass the time. I still had a couple of hours before mum came home.
I really got into reading. I looked at the clock again and shook my head. That can’t be right! I counted the pages that I’d read. 1, 2…13. I’d only read thirteen pages, so how was it possible that it was twenty past one??? Was I that slow at reading? No, the clock must be broken. I went to check the time on my mobile. 13:21…
What was wrong with me? Was I losing it these couple of days? Was I maybe so sick that without realizing it I was hallucinating? I heard mum’s car parking, and soon the sound of her keys opening the door. I quickly shoved all these thoughts at the corner on my mind and focused on covering my slight madness so my mum wouldn’t get even more worked up.
“Hi, hon! Could you come and help me carry the bags in the kitchen?”
“Coming!”
I helped her carry in the stuff and noticed how much she had bought.
“How are you feeling?” she asked me.
“Oh, fine. Um…What’s all this??”
“Oh it’s just that I’ll have to be working all day this week and I didn’t want to let you starve to death.” She smiled at me.
“Very thoughtful. But you know I can just order in, right?”
“Yes, I know but I just think it’s healthier!”
“Mum… I can’t cook anything besides Mac and cheese.”
“Well, anyway a toast or something is better than pizza.”
I didn’t argue and just helped her sort out the things she bought.

Mum left for work again and I was left with nothing to do…again.
I read a little, flipped through the TV channels and around six o’clock the door bell rang. Who could it be? Oh, it’s probably Kim to give me today’s homework so I didn’t bother changing. I was too comfy in my pajamas. I ran to answer the door.
As soon as I saw who it was, I froze.
“Paul?” My voice was filled with shock and surprise. I immediately regretted not having changed…
“Hey” he said a bit embarrassed-I thought it was probably because of the way I looked.
“I was wondering if you maybe wanted to take a walk with me. You know…if you’re not busy or anything…”
What the hell was going on? Did I fall into some alternate dimension of weirdness? Earlier he didn’t seem to remember my name and now he knew where I lived?
I was surprised by his suggestion so I had to process what he’d asked before making sense of it and answering. He probably though I was retarded or something…
“Um…no I ‘m not busy. I probably should change though” I laughed weakly. “Okay, I’ll wait out here.”
I smiled and closed the door.
What was I going to wear? What would I talk about with him? Did he just ask me out? Me? Paul asked out me? We’ve never had an actual conversation not even as friends! But the most important question was why did I feel so nervous about it and why did I accept his offer in the first place? Did I want my questions answered-about him-so badly?
I pulled on a pair of jeans and found a green top. I glanced at the mirror thinking that I am probably taking too long. I found a brush and pulled it quickly through my hair. I grabbed a bag, threw in my cell phone and my keys and rushed quickly to the door.
As soon as I got out of the house I saw that he was surprised. And then he smiled.
“What?” I asked him self-conscious while locking the door.
“Nothing. It’s just I though you were going to take longer. That was fast.”
“It was?” I thought I had taken ages…! Huh…
“Anyway.” He shrugged. I thought I caught him smiling out of the corner of my eye. He started walking and I followed his lead just half a step behind.
“So, how come we don’t hang out?” His tone burned with curiosity.
What kind of question was that?
“I honestly don’t know…”I shrugged”I guess you’re just not very talkative and you always keep to yourself…” Maybe he would tell me why he was suddenly friendly with me.
“Right…” he said. Clearly over-analyzing the little information I had just given him. ”Sorry about that…Don’t know why. I guess I haven’t been myself” I thought I saw him suppress a smile but maybe it was my imagination.
“So, what’s with the sudden friendliness?” I thought I’d have a better chance of finding out if I asked him directly.
“Well, it’s very complicated…” he paused. I didn’t say anything. Just waited to see if he would continue, without me having to push. He did.
“I don’t even know how to start…”
“Well, I think the beginning would be okay.” I smiled. He was clearly nervous about whatever he was trying to say to me. I tried to make the atmosphere a bit lighter. Maybe it would help him get it out more easily…
“Right, the beginning…”he walked a bit faster until he reached a bench. He sat down and I copied his movements.
Why was this so hard for him to say? What was so hard for him to say?
I wasn’t nervous until I realized how serious he was about what he was about to say to me. He took a deep breath and stared into my eyes.
“There is something you have to know…Lia…”

Chapter 3

Explanations

“Why do you call me Lia? My name is Emilia-or Em for short…”
He looked into my eyes again, before answering. I got lost in them…how can a person’s eyes have such a beautiful color? Is it possible?
“Um…well, you see…I know you”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I know you too, you’re Paul Carson”
I replied confused.
“That’s not what I mean; I know that you’re Emilia Jones. The reason I call you Lia is because that’s what I’ve been calling you for years now…”
Thousands of questions started swirling in my head. I got so dizzy from them that I thought I might faint again. I couldn’t pull a single one away from the rest. All I managed to get out was “Huh?”
“I told you it was complicated. Right, the beginning. Well this will sound majorly weird but, I am not the Paul you think I Am.” he paused.
“So…what? You’ve been lying all this time?”
“No…I wasn’t lying, because I haven’t actually been around.”
He paused again and took a deep breath.
“There’s a lot going on outside your world that you have no clue about…”
I was more than confused. ”You mean like zombies and monsters?”
I was surprised with myself that I was able to form a question.
“Um…no… not monsters and zombies but…different kind of weird stuff… I’m trying to say it in a way that won’t totally freak you out… although I guess that is sort of inevitable… What if I told you that there are other dimensions? And that in each dimension there is one Emilia Jones, but all of them are completely different than you. All, but one…”
“So…let me get this straight…there are other dimensions, and I exist in all of them only I’m not me-“
“-not just you. Everyone” he cut me off.
“I think that I need to sit down…”
“You are sitting down.”
“Oh…good for me.”
“See? Told you it would freak you out…”
“Right… It’s just a lot to take in…”
“Do you want me to explain it better or give you a minute?”
“Um, how about you give me a minute and then explain?”
“That sounds fair.”
It was strange that I believed it all immediately. Because I did believe it. It somehow made sense…in a way that it didn’t… but still…it all fit. So, there are other dimensions?? I remembered how I thought I’d fallen into a dimension of weirdness when I thought I was losing my mind, and realized how I wasn’t far from wrong… So why was Paul here if he was a different Paul? I thought with relief that I hadn’t lost my mind when I saw this Paul for the first time…
“Okay, I think I need more information now …”
“Okay…you see there are 5 dimensions-although we like to call it worlds… My world is in the middle. Think of it like the center of a square. The other four worlds each take up a corner of this square. My world is there to hold the balance. Everyone in that world is special and carries a power. But it can’t be used against the balance. So basically no one from our world is a threat. All we have to worry about is the outside.”
“You said before that all of the other me’s out there are different except one…”
“Right. Each protector-that means from my world-has a copy of his or herself in only one of the other worlds. You happen to be the same as the Emilia Jones, the protector. Which is why we need you”
“So, why are you here? I mean you shouldn’t need me for any reason if there is another me in your world?”
His features suddenly became darker. His face twisted with pain and anger.
“I need you…because there isn’t…”
“But you said-“
“-there was…but she’s gone.”
“Oh”
“I wasn’t sure if you were the same as Lia so I came to find out on my own. You see, I’ve been looking for you. I went to the other three worlds before coming here. It has to be you. I’m convinced that it is.”
“But if I am the same as Lia, shouldn’t I have some power like she did?”
“Yes” he said grinning.
What he was saying was impossible! I felt like I was having a really vivid dream that seemed closer to a film rather than reality.
“Well if her power was to get bored really easily because time never passes then you’ve got me!” I replied sarcastically. He still was grinning.
“What was her power anyway?” I asked.
“Let’s just say that time obeyed only to her…”
“Obeyed?”
“She could make time slow down, go faster, freeze, or even turn back. So you’re probably right. It is you. I was pretty much convinced when you got ready in less than 4 seconds.”
“4 seconds?”
I suddenly remembered things. Like how I kept looking at the clock and it seemed like no time had gone by. That was because it hadn’t. Or when I wished that time would pass faster and started reading my book and then suddenly my mum came back from work…I’d actually made time move faster!
I caught Paul grinning. Then he stared at me intensely like he was concentrating really hard on something. Suddenly, memories popped into my head. Memories that I knew were mine but that were so deep inside my head that I’d never looked for them. Never. Until now. They were all from my early childhood.
I suddenly realized that time was “acting funny” even when I was a child I just never gave any thought to it. When I returned to the present I asked Paul,
“So what’s your power?”
“I just showed you.”
“That was you showing me that??”
“More or less…I mean the memories are there but I just dig them out for you if you can’t.”
“So did you just see what I saw?”
“Yes. I can only see the memories. Not the thoughts behind them. But if you remember something, I’ll see it too. Like I was there. But not through your eyes. Just like an observer. An outsider watching from a distance. I can also erase memories. I can erase a memory as an individual or all of them completely, causing what you would call amnesia.”
“Wow”
“Don’t worry I almost never use the second part of my power. I might erase a memory if it’s to hold the balance. Like, if you weren’t Lia’s copy I would make you forget that you ever saw me.”
“So I’m guessing that your copy isn’t the Paul in this world…”I smiled.
“How can you be so positive?” he grinned.
“Well I can’t know if he’s got your power, but he is nothing like you. I mean I’ve known him for years but I’ve never actually known him if you understand what I mean. But I’ve known you for not even a day and I can talk to you like I’ve known you forever. It’s weird…So how similar am I to the Lia in your world?”
He didn’t say anything. Just stared at his hands.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m just curious. Sorry for bringing it up…”
“No it’s okay. It’s only harder to talk about her because you’re so much like her. Your expressions, the way you speak… It’s very confusing. It wasn’t as hard when I found Emilia Jones in the other worlds because even thought they look like Lia they are nothing like her. They were like strangers to me. But with you…It’s like having her back…”
He didn’t have to tell me anything for me to understand how much he loved her. I decided to change the turn the conversation had taken.
“Okay, I know now that I’ve got this power, but I could never be useful. I can’t control it…”
“It needs practice but you’ll manage. We really need you.”
“What happened that you need me so much?”
“The balance is threatened. I told you that protectors can’t use their powers against the balance. But…their copies can. And a copy did…My copy.”
“Your copy is the threat?”
“Yeah. We are the same in ways but what make us completely different is our decisions…what path we decide to choose. He realized that he was special, that he could be powerful and he got greedy. He found a way to our world. He tricked Lia. He saw her memories of me and her …She thought it was me. She trusted him completely. He knew how her power worked from her memories. And then…” I could tell that he couldn’t say it. “When someone special dies in our world, his or her power doesn’t. It moves on to the closest person- which normally would mean a protector…. But he killed her so he got her power…”
There was a long pause.
“So that’s why I need you. I can’t stop him because he’s got the ability I’ve got, plus yours. Alone I don’t stand a chance. With you it’s a fair fight.”
“But if everyone in your world has abilities how come no one has stopped him yet?”
“Everyone has abilities but not enough to stop him. Maybe to hold him off, but that’s all. How can a flame thrower stop him? He might get a bad burn but he’ll just turn back time and avoid it. That’s the reason he chose Lia. He knew she was very powerful. You are very powerful. He is wanted and is hiding right now. He is wandering around, searching through memories trying to find really powerful protectors and steal their powers.”
I had to admit, I was intimidated by all this but tried not to show it.
“So, will you help us?”
“I’ll do what I can,” I said, still not completely sure if I was dreaming.

Chapter 4

Note

I was lying at night in my bed thinking of everything that had happened that day. Thinking how impossible it all seemed and yet how I knew it was true. For some reason it all made sense…I trusted Paul.
And then it hit me. What would happen if I met his copy? Would I be able to know the difference? I realized that I probably wouldn’t be able to tell… If Lia couldn’t then I didn’t stand a better chance…And she knew him better than I do… I knew that I’d have to be really careful. I shouldn’t trust Paul. Only I did. And that was wrong. That was not safe.
I finally fell asleep. I didn’t really remember my dream. It was too blurry. I can never remember my dreams. Maybe Paul could help with that, I thought, smiling to myself. I got up to get ready for school. I pulled on the jeans that I wore yesterday. I realized that there was something in my back pocket. I saw that it was a folded piece of paper. I opened it out and read it.


The reason I didn’t tell you before, what you’re about to read now is because it isn’t safe. You’ve probably considered the possibility of meeting my copy. I had to find a way to protect you from that. And I did. Read carefully… I need you to remember this (the memory of you reading this) every time you see me. When you do, you’ll know it’s me if I say “Hi, I didn’t get much sleep last night, did you?” If it’s my copy, he won’t be able to get much information out of the memory of you reading a piece of paper. That’s why I don’t want you to mention to anybody about this. Don’t even mention it to me when you see me. I don’t want any memory to give away this. It’s the only way I thought of protecting you... Please don’t forget! Also tomorrow (Wednesday-just in case you’re reading it on Wednesday) I would like to talk to you. To tell you more about your gift and maybe even practice. That would mean not going to school (if you don’t mind). So I’ll meet you at the bus stop outside school when the bell rings,
Take care,
Paul.


I read the note three times to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. So all I had to do was to remember myself reading the note. It seemed pretty simple and also very logical. I suddenly felt secure. I knew that this idea would work. Paul had explained that he can see memories only as an observer. So all he would see, would be me reading a bit of paper. Nothing special. Not to someone who doesn’t know the meaning of it. Paul’s memories wouldn’t give him away either.
I decided to call Kim before she got here to tell her… well I wouldn’t tell her the truth, but I had to give her some excuse. I picked up the phone and dialed her number. Mum was still sleeping so I spoke in a low tone.
“Hello?” Kim said on the other line.
“Hey, it’s Em”
“Oh hey! I’m not late, am I? I’m just about to leave; I’ll be there in a sec!”
“Wait, no, you’re not late. I just called to tell you not to come…”
“Oh...Are you okay? Are you sick?”
“No, I’m not sick…I just don’t feel like going to school. I’ll explain later, just don’t mention anything to mum, ok?”
“Ok…” she said, confused.
“I’ll see you. Thanks.”
“No prob! I just let me know what this is about at some point, kay?”
“Sure, I will.”
“Bye”
“Bye”.
I knew that I would have to tell her something very close to the truth so that it wouldn’t feel as bad as lying. I don’t like lying, and when I do, it shows. I decided that that was the least of my problems. I would have to worry about it later. Right now all that I thought of was going to see Paul. The thought alone made me feel excited. It was weird but I just got ready and headed to meet him.
I know that I could have had Kim drive me to school and then make an excuse to leave. But I didn’t want her to get even more suspicious, in case she saw Paul. Besides I felt like walking. It would clear my head. The weather was a bit chilly, but I didn’t mind.
I got to the school bus stop, three minutes before the bell rang. A minute later I saw him approaching with a smile on his face that I couldn’t not return. Then I thought really hard of the memory.
“Hi, I didn’t get much sleep last night. Did you?”
He looked at me meaningfully and the smile returned on his face.
“No, me neither.” I said and smiled back.
We didn’t mention anything and just started walking again. My guess was that we were heading toward the park again. I wasn’t wrong. We sat on the same bench as the other day. All that time neither of us had said anything.
“I’m guessing that all of this must be really confusing for you.”
“You have no idea…”
“It’s strange because it’s hard to think that you are not familiar with the existence of other worlds. I’m just so used to everybody knowing. It’s just so natural to me.”
I laughed sarcastically
“Yeah, real natural! Who doesn’t meet every day people who breathe fire or something like that??” He smiled.
“I guess you’re right, but I grew up knowing everything. When I was being told about everything ‘supernatural’ you were being told that two plus two is four. It’s not anything strange for us. It’s a part of the world, a part of who we are.”
“I guess it’s sort of understandable when you put it that way…”
“Tell me something…”
“What?”
“Did you seriously never consider that anything weird was going on when time used to move faster or slower? Because the way I saw it in your memories, it seemed pretty obvious…”
“That’s because you already know. And anyway, I realized that something wasn’t right, but never suspected anything nearly as crazy as this! Besides they say that time is different to everyone. For example an hour can pass quickly for someone who is having a good time. But the same hour can seem so much longer to someone who is bored. So I thought it was something like that.”
“That’s very true actually…”
“So is there something in particular that I have to do to use my power? Like a hand movement or…” I trailed of-feeling stupid.
He snickered.
“No. No hand movements. Or any movements, really. Just concentration. You concentrate hard on what you want to accomplish.”
“That’s all?” It seemed simple enough…
“Yup, that’s all. It’s not much but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It takes a lot of practice. In time you’ll get better.”
“So how come I’ve done it before without realizing? I mean if you have to think hard on the fact that you want to stop time, how can you do it without even knowing that you can?”
“Well you don’t concentrate as much on the fact that you want to move time but on the desire. Like, if you are bored you might by accident move time faster. Not because you were concentrating on moving time faster but because it’s what you unconsciously desire. You unconsciously wish it to happen and it does. With practice you can learn how to consciously do that and also to control time better. You can learn to control time by exactly the minutes you want.”
“Wow! So…say that I move time…and in five minutes an hour has passed. What happens to everyone else? Do they not realize?”
“To them time moves normally. They just continue what they do like nothing is happening. You’re the only one that actually travels along with the time. So, if you notice what’s going on around you while time is moving faster, it will seem to you that someone pressed the fast-forward button. The only weird thing that others might notice is you. That’s the only thing you’d have to be careful about.”
“Me? What about me?”
“When you use your ability you don’t want to be seen. Time will move differently to you than it will for everyone else. So when everything is fast forward to you, you are slow-motion to everyone else.”
I knew that the question I was about to ask him wouldn’t be very pleasant to him, since it’s hard for him to talk about Lia. But…I had to ask…
“Paul…how come you know so much about my power? I mean I know that you knew Lia well, but it seems like you know too many details…”
He nodded.
“Lia did tell me a lot about her ability, about how it works. But it’s true; I know more than she actually told me. That’s because I’ve seen it through her memories. The way that everything moves slower or faster. It’s fascinating, really. I may only be an observer in the memory but because I’m seeing her memory I see everything with the speed that she does. You’ll find it hard at first but once you learn to control it, it will be extremely useful.”
I didn’t make him talk about Lia anymore. Besides it all sounded very exciting. I couldn’t wait to start learning!
“When can we start practicing?” I asked him eagerly.
“I think we should wait till tomorrow. You should think about all this before you just jump into it. And please promise that you won’t try anything without me around.”
“Ok, I promise…”
“Thanks…”

Chapter 5

Lies

“Do you want to go back to school now?”
“Not if I can help it…! Do you mind if I stick around? I don’t want to face Kim right now. I haven’t thought of a reason for why I didn’t go to school…”
“I don’t mind…I can help you with an excuse if you want.”
“That sounds good! But just so you know, I don’t like to lie much…so it has to be fairly realistic.”
“I know that…Lia…too-she…she didn’t like lying.”
“I forget how much you know about me already…But I don’t know you that well.”
“Well, anything you want to know…just ask!”
“Okay…Um, well, I can’t think of anything right now, but I’ll let you know!”
“Sure. So, back to what we were saying. I guess you’ll have to find an excuse for your friend. You’ll have to tell her something about me just in case she sees us at some point.”
“But the only problem is the Paul that is here. “
“Well tell her that you’re secretly dating. Which would explain why you don’t talk with Paul at school…You can say that you don’t want anyone to find out about it.”
“I guess I could tell her that…besides I don’t think she would ask him, So, I guess it would be safe to tell her that…”
“See? Problem solved!”
“Right, thanks.”
There was a long pause.
“So what is Kim like in your world?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t know her that well but she doesn’t seem much a like this one…”
“What’s her power?”
“She can freeze things. Freeze, in the literal sense, like turn them into ice.”
“Wow”
“Well, it sounds cool but it’s not as useful as your gift is.”
I asked him about other kids at school. It was interesting finding out everyone’s power. I even found out that Sean the stalker, can fly and that he is very cool!
I lost track of time. We were talking for ages about the differences between our worlds. I looked at my watch and realized I had to get going. Mum would probably call the house a bit after school to check that everything was ok.
“I should probably get going. But…it feels like we just started talking…I didn’t do anything funny did I? I mean was I in slow motion or something?”
He laughed.
“No don’t worry. It’s only one of those things, where you don’t realize how time goes by. I would have known if you used your power, I’ve seen Lia do it lots of times.”
“Ok, cool”
“Come on. I’ll walk you home”
We walked to my house not saying much. I felt sad at the thought of not seeing him till tomorrow…
“So when am I going to see you?” I asked, shyly.
“Well I don’t want you to miss any classes, so I’ll come by your house after school.”
“Okay…” as if I would be able to pay attention to any lesson…I didn’t say anything. He took my hand and held it for a while starring into my eyes.
“Please, please be careful…do you promise?”
“I promise.” I said in a small voice. I could feel my hand burning in his-as if it were on fire. He was still looking at me intensely.
Then, he bent slowly and pressed his lips lightly to my forehead. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, he was smiling.
“See you tomorrow then.” He said, still smiling.
“Tomorrow…”
And he started walking away. I was vividly aware of my hand and my forehead still burning. I walked into the house a bit dazed.



I was back just before mum called to check that everything was ok. I reassured her, and promised I’d make something to eat and wouldn’t order in. I decided to be creative and made pizza…It wasn’t too bad, which surprised me because I usually can’t cook anything without ruining it. At least it was better than Mac and cheese…
Then, around 5 o’clock, the phone rang. I knew it would be Kim. I was actually surprised that she didn’t call sooner. I thought she would be burning with curiosity. Then I panicked. How would I tell her that I was with Paul if she’d seen him at school??? I picked up after a couple of rings.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me! So…Is your mum around? Will you tell me now?”
“No she’s not here, I’m free to talk!”
“So…spill!
I could practically hear her bouncing up and down and laughed to myself.
I had to think very hard of what I was going to tell her without giving myself away…
“Um…did you see Paul at school today...?” That was a good way to start…
Please say no, please say no, please say no…
“Paul?”
She seemed startled by the turn the conversation had taken. Then she continued, “Um…I honestly don’t know…I mean I don’t notice him even when he is there…why?”
This was good. I could tell her I was with him…
“Well, where I’m going with this is that…well I was with Paul…”
There was a really long pause…
“You….? And Paul?”
“Yeah well when after the whole fainting thing, Paul sort of helped me and well…one thing led to another…but you can’t tell anyone.”
“Wait, he kissed you?”
“Um, yeah” I wasn’t lying completely…he kissed me on the forehead…I smiled like an idiot at the memory.
“We are talking about Paul right? Paul. Who doesn’t talk to anyone?”
I tried not to think how what she said was ironic…
“Yes, thanks for clarifying that…”
“How?”
“Well, I don’t know…it’s just one of those things that just…happen.”
“Wow!”
“But…You can’t tell anyone! Okay? This is completely confidential. We sort of don’t want anyone to know about it…”
“Oh okay, I won’t tell a single person! Cross my heart!”
She sounded thrilled that she was in on the secret.
“So, what’s he like? I mean he must have said something!”
“Once he get’s talking he’s really nice actually. Like a completely different person…” I smiled to myself…
“Well, when are you seeing him again?”
“I don’t know…school doesn’t count because we have to act like nothing has changed…I guess he’ll call me!”
“You’ll tell me right?”
“Sure! You know I will…”
“You’re the best Em!”
I decided it was time to change the subject.
“So, how’s it with you and Henry?”
“Oh…He’s soooo nice!! And I’m sorry about kinda blowing you off the other day…!”
“Don’t worry, you’re completely forgiven!”
“Thanks. Anyway, he’s coming over tonight! My parents won’t be home till late…”
“Tomorrow you’ll have to tell me how it went! Kay?”
“Well duh!!” she laughed.
“Cool! See you tomorrow then!”
“Kay, bye!”
“Bye”
I felt relieved that she didn’t suspect I was lying. That made me feel almost worse about it. I shouldn’t be glad that my lies were convincing…Being good at lies should be upsetting…And I was upset… But not as upset as I’d thought I’d be…Maybe lying doesn’t seem as bad when it’s worth something. And Paul really was worth it. He was worth every single lie I’d just made my best friend believe…